After cycling through Costa Rica and Panama, what’s next? I moved to Medellin, Colombia!

I didn’t end up sailing like I had planned because I got sick. Plans change. I was okay with not seeing the San Blas Islands on this trip. I took the easy and expensive way by flying over the Darien Gap.

After visiting Colombia a few years ago, I knew I always wanted to come back. The people are so friendly and parts of the culture are similar to my Filipino heritage in terms of social interactions. Plus, I want to become fluent in Spanish and Colombia is one of the best countries to learn in because the accent is clean.

Prior to arriving, I didn’t do much research on where to stay. I thought that I’d just ask questions to figure things out. It’s less work and this has worked out quiet well for me in the past.

Luckily, when I dined at Hooters in Panama City (Don’t judge. I go for the hotwings. It’s nice to have American food after being on the road for so long.) I met a waitress who happened to be from Medellin. She recommended to check out Poblado. I later learned that this is the most affluent neighborhood where a lot of expats live. Expensive, but safer. This was a good place to set up base camp while I learn about the city and search for a room to rent.

Innovation event at Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín

Why Medellin?

Several things drew me to this city such as the cultural transformation that is happening now. It was voted as one of the most innovative cities by The Urban Land Institute. It has a growing tech and startup scene. The weather is spring time all year round with occasional rain. I can deal with this. The urban vibe in some areas feels like my hometown of Chicago with a good metro and bus system. Lots of activities in the city to do. The women are beautiful, it’s not a secret. I won’t be sharing juicy details about my dating life here. Bummer. I know. Although, that would make this blog funnier.

The main reason that drew me to spend time here was a volunteer opportunity.

This billboard on Lake Ometepe, Nicaragua shaped the course of this trip.

The opportunity

While traveling through Nicaragua six months ago, I was on Ometepe Island and spotted this billboard (pictured above). I learned about an organization was giving laptops to kids in poverty to empower them through education. I did a little poking around the web and came across One Laptop Per Child. I went to their website laptop.org and saw that they had projects in Colombia, so I e-mailed the country manager. She then put me in touch with the Marina Orth Foundation which is who I am exploring this volunteer gig with.

Volunteering in Medellin

My first week here I met with the director of the foundation to learn more about the program. I also went to the school to observe a few 5th grade classes. While it’s the end of the semester now, it gave me an idea of what I’d do the following year. I can choose to work with teachers on IT topics, teach English, and help a scholarship group of high school students with their English so they can study abroad. I was also asked if I could help out with online marketing and social media to improve the foundation’s web presence.

This is quite a lot to take on, but I like that I can create a volunteer program based on my interests, skills, and experience. I also like that I don’t have to pay a volunteer fee. I just gift my time.

Luck, chance, serendipity. Being present to spot that billboard on this journey lead me to this next phase. I stumbled across this opportunity on a whim. It’s aligned with my personal mission and what I’m passionate about with technology, learning, and helping people.

Just like my bicycle tour, I figured everything out along the way. I’ll do the same with teaching.

What advice do you have for a first time teacher?

Comments (15)

Mig – today is Thanksgiving and your email is a perfect one to find in my inbox. I love that the course of your journey was inspired by a billboard and that you followed your gut to learn more about it. It always seems when you’re going with the flow that things begin to align with personal values and mission. That’s when you know you’re on the right track. Go bless lives, I’m thankful for your journey and for sharing it with all of us. 🙂

Working with the kids up in the communes up the mountain is a great experience. I did a volunteer gig with Angeles de Medellín with Marco the Program Director for the Christmas food and toy distribution they do every year. They also take donations. believe me, these people that live in these areas are really in need, they are desplazados from the natural disasters and the violence here in Colombia . They live in housing they were able to tack together from trees and tarps. The people are really wonderful in spite of it all…

Sounds like a great volunteering opportunity – I look forward to hearing more about it. My advice as a teacher to another first-time teacher: be patient, don’t take things too seriously and have fun – if you’re having fun the kids will too!Andrew recently posted…Does Travel Ruin your Future Prospects?

Panama has had problems with several of their ATM machines throughout the country. When you try to make a withdrawal the machines will deduct the money from your account, but it won’t dispense the cash. An error message will appear instructing you to contact your financial institution. The has happened to me numerous times during […]

I’m hanging out on the beach in Costa Rica working on my blog and thinking about how to lower my expenses. This country is expensive for budget travelers especially coming from Nicaragua or Guatemala where the dollar can stretch further. After being on the go for a few weeks, I decided to take it easy. […]

My friends always ask how I travel by myself. I’d love to take a trip with them, but coordinating vacation time with others can be challenging. There have been times when I found a cheap plane ticket and I was ready to book it, but a friend would still need to find out if they’re […]

According to the Mayans, it’s the end of an era on December 21, 2012. All hell might break loose and the world is going to end! Preparing for a week of camping and survival in the harsh environment of the Black Rock dessert at Burning Man 2012 was a good practice run through to get […]

Are you willing to volunteer your seat on an over booked flight in exchange for a round trip ticket? Last weekend I flew Spirit Airlines from Las Vegas to Chicago for the Thanksgiving holiday. The flight was over sold so they were offering a round trip ticket and a $7 food voucher to volunteers who […]